This disclosure relates to an engine control system used to prevent a misfire in a Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression-Ignition (GDCI) engine.
Engine control systems for conventional spark ignition internal combustion engines use algorithms that prioritize fast synchronization of the engine controller with the crankshaft and camshaft rotation. Doing so enables fuel to be delivered to the appropriate cylinders as quickly as possible during a cold start.
The primary motivation for delivering fuel quickly during a cold start is to minimize the start time. Such methods can result in quick engine starts but may come at the expense of high emissions. Since the only function of the algorithms is to deliver the fuel when synchronization is complete, rather than deliver fuel when in-cylinder conditions are appropriate for combustion it is possible to inject fuel into a cylinder which will misfire, which, of course, will result in high hydrocarbon emissions. This risk has proven to be relatively low for conventional spark ignition engines.